Who to make your FOI request to

You must make your request for information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to the CSD FOI Unit:

Your request must be in writing, and it should refer to the FOI Act. Please contact the unit above with any queries.

 

What to include in your request

Make your request as specific as possible. This will help us to identify the information you’re requesting.The request must include:

• Include a name (Individual/legal entity) – Does not need to be a real name. Will just be used to address you.
• Be in writing
• Give a return address (Including email)
• Describe the information being requested
• Where possible, please try to indicate the time period for which you want to access records. For example, 'records created between October 2012 and December 2012'. Also, if possible, try to specify the areas of the department that you believe are most relevant to your request.
• Include the form of access preferred
• If you need information in a particular form (for example, a photocopy or a computer disk), you should say this in your request.
• If it is for personal information, prove the applicants ID/authority (If needed)

 

How much a request costs

There is no fee for making an FOI request, but you may need to pay charges for time and other costs to the department.

It’s very unlikely that we’ll charge you any fees for personal records, except where you request a large number of records.

Requests for personal information include information relating to your children or relating to deceased people. In these cases, we’ll need to verify your information in advance.

 

How long it takes to answer a request

We will acknowledge a request for records within 10 days.
Decide within 30 Days (Clock may stop if we need clarification or to narrow the scope)
Extension of up to 30 days may be applied if (You will be notified if this is needed):

• Shortage of staff
• Records are difficult to locate or high volume
• 3rd parties need to be consulted
• We are seeking legal advise

We’re required to follow these timelines, under the FOI Act.

 

Records you can access

It will sometimes be necessary for us to exempt certain types of information from release, to allow government business to be properly conducted.

 

Appealing a decision

If you’re unhappy with the department's response to your request, you can request for a more senior department staff member to re-examine the decision. You should send your application for a review to:

If you’re still unhappy with the decision after the review, you have the right to appeal to the Ombudsman. You can find more information about the process and the form to complete here: https://ombudsman.ky/foi

 

Freedom of information acts

Please review the FOI Law. 

 

FOI Publication Scheme

The department has prepared FOI, which contains a range of information about the department and its work.

 

Log of FOI requests

Every 3 months, the department publishes FOI Log (coming soon) for which we issued records.
This FOI log is one of several ways to promote transparency through regularly publishing information.